They’re back! In case you haven’t heard already, Paper Shooters returned, and is taking another shot at getting funded via indiegogo.
Back in April, I wrote about their first campaign, outlining it was a plastic blaster/shooter/model kit that used paper wads similar to Max Force ammo. As you’ll recall, I mentioned continuously in my initial analysis that Paper Shooters was not to be perceived as most other blasters, for a couple of reasons:
1) You had to build it out of the box; this is a construction/model kit first and foremost (according to the literature I’ve run across) and the play experience/target shooting aspect is secondary. The functionality just adds to the experience of building the shooter. You are responsible for the success of your own tools depending on how much care you spent building it. Modders can understand that, I think. And on top of that, Paper Shooters is ok with modifications performed to their kits, reinforcing the “model/construction aspect.”
2) While it was a plastic blaster, there was a specially treated water resistant cardboard skin/arrangement of sorts that was part of the external assembly around the plastic skeleton. Essentially, you can mix and match the skins (if you had the multiple versions available. But, that could get costly.)
3) Shells. The magazines hold 8 shells (last I heard, and from the looks of the indiegogo acct.) and while these are supposed to hit 75′, shells might be problematic for someone looking to these for the typical blaster play experience. Buzz Bee shells were problematic in that once you ran out of shells, you had to reload them AND locate each one to get your ammo capacity back. Nerf magazines are limited as well, but much easier to keep track of (although bulky). So I wouldn’t expect to use this in a typical Nerf war, maybe more for target practice or office hijinks against other folks who had Paper Shooters.
These are a few of the skins available (taken directly from the Indiegogo site), and like I said, getting started owning these shooters can get quite costly. While the perks from the campaign include ammo, and a mould to make more paper ammo, the initial investment might be a little much. But if you are a fan of building models, this might be right up your alley with the construction challenge and THEN you have a functioning shooter as well. (I believe the box is STILL supposed to assemble into a zombie head, but I could be wrong or that has changed.
Either way, it’s still an interesting concept as far as getting one involved in the construction side of blaster building (if they aren’t already modding), but unless the campaign succeeds it doesn’t look like we’ll know anything solid about the products. While the video shows what I’m guessing is a prototype that looks like it functions pretty solidly, that’s all we have to work off of, and the faith that is inherent with crowdfunding. Should you decide to back them, it would definitely seem like you’re in for a very different experience than most other shooter kits on the market currently. Until they’re out and funded, there’s really nothing to demo here. But, at the very least you’re aware of this creation!
Also, if you have your doubts about how good cardboard can look, I leave you with these links:
Foam From Above 